HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE PRESERVATION DEBATE: LET’S BE REASONABLE

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“HARC REQUIRES GLASS JALOUSIE WINDOWS IN NEW TOWN”

“Previous renovator of 1960 house had installed double-pane, hurricane-rated awning windows”

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Would you be incensed if you saw the above headline in the paper? Now that most of New Town is more than 50 years old and eligible for nomination as an historic district, consider this: requiring installation of glass jalousies would be the logical extension of HARC’s current interpretation of guidelines regarding windows.

Although many mid-Century houses in New Town may have originally sported glass jalousies, it was apparent to all that they are neither energy-efficient nor particularly secure or water-tight. Many have opted for replacements that may have aesthetically suited the style of the house but offered the benefits of current-day technologies.

If that sounds reasonable, let’s try this: most houses in Old Town were built with no glazing (just shutters) or wood framed windows. Some replaced older 6/6 sashes with 2/2 in the early 20th century, which were the best available from manufacturers at the time. Some were subsequently replaced by aluminum or vinyl windows that were rot and termite resistant and water-tight. Still later, some installed windows of synthetic materials that sealed better and could be double-paned or impact-resistant.

Manufacturers now offer double-pane and impact rated windows that have the same appearance as the old divided light windows. They are made of materials that can be painted and some are textured like wood. They offer better protection from the elements for both the occupants of the house and the structural members of the house itself. Should not the residents of Old Town be allowed to do what has always been done in private residences….make improvements that protect them and extend the usable life of their homes?

Some claim it would endanger our“status”, but please consider this:

From National Park Service website FAQ:

“Can I modify, remodel, or renovate, my historic house?

From the Federal perspective (the National Register of Historic Places is part of the National Park Service), a property owner can do whatever they want with their property as long as there are no Federal monies attached to the property. You can find this on our website at: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/national_register_fundamentals.htm“

Similarly, some claim that “regulations” require wood-only. However, NPS Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, “Introduction to Standards & Guidelines” states:

“The Standards are neither technical nor prescriptive, but are intended to promote responsible preservation practices that help protect our Nation’s irreplaceable cultural resources. For example, they cannot, in and of themselves, be used to make essential decisions about which features of the historic building should be saved and which can be changed. But once a treatment is selected, the Standards provide philosophical consistency to the work.”

In fact, in the District of Columbia, home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service, architectural preservation boards do allow using superior new materials for windows, as long as the appearance is substantially similar to the original. They also distinguish between primary facades and those not part of the streetscape.

Anyone who actually studies the documents and subsequent bulletins from NPS will see that the overriding advice is to save as much of the old as possible, not just a few selected features. It is in the aggregate, not in the minute details, that true preservation lies.

It is further noted that the Florida State regulations regarding historic districts simply repeats the Federal document; Florida law delegates historic preservation as a local zoning policy.

Finally, one must fall back on the purpose of historic preservation districts. They were designed to save livable neighborhoods from ill-conceived “urban renewal” projects. They were not meant to morph communities into museums. We all are not interpretative actors in a museum. We are people who love our homes and want to live comfortably in them while maintaining them the best way that we can.

Let’s be reasonable. Let’s make decisions that best preserve more of the historic community over the long-run.

Pat Cummings

Key West